


Alix' Fall into the Abyss

by Giulietta



Series: Miraculous Guide to Madness [17]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Friendship, Emilie Agreste Lives, Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kwami Swap, Mentioned Lila Rossi, Neglect, Partnership, Peacock Emilie Agreste, Rabbit Alix Kubdel | Bunnyx, Time Travel, What-If, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26268133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Giulietta/pseuds/Giulietta
Summary: When Alix received the rabbit miraculous from her father, she instantly knew something was off.This world is covered in madness.[Every chapter will have Alix in it, but the POV will be alternating.]
Relationships: Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Miraculous Guide to Madness [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812820
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	1. Removing love from the equation

**Author's Note:**

> Over and over, the girl strives to keep Madness at bay..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Be two steps ahead of them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette thought she knew better.

When she saw her world's timeline get cut short once Marinette and Adrien got together, Alix needed to prevent this. With the bunny miraculous her father bestowed her, Alix needed to delay the END.

**[One way to avoid the END is to make Marinette not fall in love in the first place ~~right?~~ ]**

To do this, she first: **held Marinette and Alya up for a couple of seconds before entering the classroom**. _Sunshine doesn't know how to get gum off wood._ Enough seconds to not give Adrien time to speak since Ms. Bustier comes in and orders them to sit down. By not speaking up, Adrien also loses the possible friendship of Nino who advised the blonde to apologize to Marinette.

Since Chloé ruined Adrien's chances to befriending the rest, Adrien gets isolated by the group by being considered Chloé's enabler friend. Some guys befriend him, but most of the girls keep a wary distance from the model. Chloé was lethal in this world. She was dangerous more than the norm. Marinette in this universe is also mostly a blank slate.

...

* * *

...

Marinette doesn't like being in the spotlight. _Maybe back then when she was a naive child, but **Chloé** taught her better._ She is the ordinary baker girl with loving parents, the girl who blends in the crowd with her average grades and zero friends.

( **A side character** ) That is all she is _or Chloé will bully her._ [ **I am _happy_.**] That's what Marinette tells herself every day **until _she_ came...**

> _"Want to hangout?" The new student offered, watching her seatmate while holding her phone. The brunette didn't move or get angry with the lack of response. The new student simply waited for the bluenette to pack her bag and finally face her. "Ready?"_
> 
> _"Are you sure?" Marinette asked, whispering since not everyone has left the room._
> 
> _"Why not? We're seatmates and we have to have something in common." The phone user grinned, offering her hand. "So let's be friends, you and I. **My name is** "_

**\- Alya Césaire.** The new student likes to explore and record her experience no matter how dangerous the situation might be. Surprisingly, Alya wants to befriend Marinette despite the bluenette sitting at the front. _In fact, Alya defended her from Chloé and Chloé's mean childhood friend: Adrien Agreste._ Alya tells her to forget about them. **They are bullies.**

> "Hey-" Adrien called out, but Marinette was listening to the song list Alya got her recently.
> 
> " **Marinette! Hey!** (Marinette jumped at the loud voice and looked around.) **There you are! I was looking all over for you, girl!** " Alya called out and Marinette saw her new best friend run with a huge umbrella in hand. She removed her earphones, keeping them in her purse.
> 
> "Where did you get that, Alya?" Marinette gasped as Alya playfully smacked her with the umbrella. "That's huge!"
> 
> "Duh. It's for two people." Alya opened the umbrella, flaring up its orange hue. _Adrien pursed his lips, feeling left out as the two females kept distance from him._ Marinette blinked, watching Alya rotate the umbrella. Alya tsked, clearly disappointed at the obvious color, but Marinette giggled at her expression. "And this is why you shouldn't order your big sister to buy your stuff."

Marinette likes talking to Alya. She is confident, informative and fun in general. Alya is the one who helped her make friends with the rest of her classmates. ~~Her classmates who didn't befriend her because of Chloé.~~ In her eyes, Marinette doesn't see them as real friends. She wants friends who trusts her and are willing to have her be a part of their goal. **Alya** wants her blog - The Ladyblog - famous. **Misterbug** wants to protect Paris. The only exception to this would be Plagg. **Plagg** just wants cheese. Anyways, these two are her friends. They won't abandon her or make her feel lonely.

> "What are you doing, m'lady?" Misterbug asked, scaring the black cat and almost falling off the roof had he not grabbed her arm. Lady Noire allowed her partner to tug her back to safe ground, placing a foot to balance herself. Misterbug smiled, sheepish. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
> 
> "I know you didn't mean to." Lady Noire huffed, prying his hand off her arm. Crossing her arms, Lady Noire added. "But it's second nature to you, Bugaboo."
> 
> "I already told you to call me Bug. Bugaboo is a really... terrible name." Misterbug hesitantly told her, ears and face a little red from embarrassment or anger?
> 
> "Hmm..." Lady Noire wondered what's wrong with the name Bugaboo. _It's a pretty cute and fitting nickname for the sneaky bug. Friends give each other nicknames so what's wrong with the nickname she chose?_ Lady Noire looked away from the crimson bug, looking back at the direction of Alya's apartment. "I'll think about it. Anyways, I just finished patrol and it's getting late. See you."
> 
> "O-oh.. Bye." Misterbug turned silent. If there's one thing she'd argue with her partner it would be their presence in the news media outlet. Lady Noire doesn't want to be interviewed by anyone but Alya. Misterbug prefers something more professional. In the end, Misterbug agreed to get interviewed by Alya while Lady Noire concedes to getting interviewed by Mrs. Chamack. _However, Lady Noire has a feeling Misterbug is hiding something from her to be this averse to the blogger._ Lady Noire leaped off, extending her baton to head to the next rooftop.

With Alya, Marinette began to explore more. She visited a ton of shops and landmarks with the blogger. The brunette was so enthusiastic and hyped on the strangest of trends. It made her remember the fun times when she and Kim prank people or those times when she show her designs to her peers. With the internet, Marinette doesn't need to use her name. She can work with a different alias. She'll be... She'll be MDC!

> "Girl. That's the fourth boy you rejected." Alya snickered, glancing away from her phone to stare at the bluenette. "The last guy was pretty decent too."
> 
> "No thanks." Marinette mumbled, resting her head on Alya's shoulder. _She doesn't have time for love when she's a part-time hero._ Marinette smiled, humming in delight when Alya scratched her scalp close to her ear. "Hm~"
> 
> "You are such a cat." Alya sighed and Marinette purrs when Alya decided to scratch her chin. "God. What if guys want to date you because you're like a cat?"
> 
> "Is that logic the same to those who like Lady Noire?" Marinette hummed and whined when Alya removed her hand. Marinette opened her eyes to see Alya texting on the phone again, deciding to lay on Alya's lap for attention. "No~ Mind me~!"
> 
> "Shh.." Alya pulled out a feather thingy. Marinette stared at it in wonder, watching the long feather thing wiggle in the wind. She knows what it is. A cat toy. The same cat toy Alya showed her when she was Lady Noire. **She's better than it. She's a-**
> 
> "Mew!" Marinette pawed it, falling off Alya's lap as she tried to kill it. Marinette quickly sat up, pouting as Alya laughed at her. Crossing her arms, Alya calmed down and petted her head. _Anger reduced significantly._

Sometimes, Marinette doesn't like Alya. She doesn't like how Alya wanders around defenseless or stalks people around without a weapon. Alya considers her weak, but the only vulnerable one between the two of them would be Alya.

Marinette doesn't want Alya to get hurt. If it wasn't for Alya's hobby and Misterbug's kindness, Marinette would have long pawned off the black cat ring to another justice-filled entity or a Misterbug fan.

_Whichever works._

Marinette just wants to keep Alya safe. Is it that hard to fulfill?

...

* * *

...

Marinette is similar to a main character who gains flaws and strengths with each passing day. Alix found her very easy to manipulate to be honest.

Another step she needed to make sure is: **Alya doesn't see Adrien as someone compatible to Marinette**. Alya is a major influence in Marinette's life and if the blogger repeats her bad comments of someone, Marinette would be turned off by said individual. It didn't matter if Alya had questionable morals. This universe has Marinette being a caring person with a loose moral compass.

It worked. Instead of a desolate water land, Alix finds Paris on its feet. She saved the world. She's done the correct action ~~, right?~~

...

* * *

...

Difficult and confusing years passed her and Marinette is literally down to her last life as Lady Noire. _It was a necessary sacrifice when her partner isn't always around. Besides, he's gotten desensitized by her bloody corpse- It's not him. The police are the ones desensitized by her death which they censor for the sake of everyone. ~~Politics downplayed her so much that she's a running gag.~~_

Anywho, Misterbug magically got himself a harem. She's sure it has Queen Bee and Ryuuko, but she doesn't know about the guy miraculous users. _Why else are they so protective over the crimson bug?_ Well... They have some reason to not trust her so much because of social media portrayals, her powers in general and terrible social skills. _Or maybe it's because she's getting Misterbug's attention?_ If that's the reason for most of them not to trust her then why don't they persuade Misterbug to make Rena permanent? If Misterbug made Rena permanent then she wouldn't bug him so often. She knows who the fox heroine is, happy to see Alya by her side in the battlefield. _At least she has someone to talk to and do fist bumps with._

Why didn't Misterbug give Alya the fox miraculous permanently? _Why did he give the rest away to their separate owners?_ ~~It's not fair. **It's not fair!**~~ Since Misterbug is the Guardian-in-training, he can do whatever he wants and she can't complain. **Even if so many people want her to step down, as long as Alya continues to work on the Ladyblog, she'll keep being Lady Noire _because_**

**_I like being with her._ **

**[Alya makes me happy.]**

*Thud!

" **I was wrong! I was wrong about everything.** " Alya admitted and Marinette didn't expect getting cornered to a wall by said blogger. Her best friend is crying. _Why is she crying?_ Marinette wanted to raise her hand to grab her handkerchief to wipe Alya's eyes, but the brunette held her hands. **"I shut down the Ladyblog and cut ties from sister organizations.."**

"What _why?_ " Marinette whispered, curious of her declaration. Something happened. _Who did this to you?_ Marinette doesn't remember anyone hurting Alya the days prior and her anger simmers in a pan, waiting for fuel to produce a spark. "What are you talking about, Alya? I thought you love the Ladyblog?"

> **It's five minutes before the bell.** Marinette recently got out of an akuma battle and managed to arrive to school for the final days before exams. The bluenette didn't expect Alya to walk towards her and press her close to the wall right next to the door. _At least they aren't in the classroom._ She didn't expect Alya to start crying as she confessed whatever she did hours beforehand. _She knows this because she checked the Ladyblog after dinner before an akuma emerged._ Whatever Alya saw must have traumatized her enough to shutdown this almost four-year-old project.

"I do, but... But last night, someone... Someone recorded Lady Noire last moments before death. He-He was a ladybug. He was shot by someone while livestreaming and I..." Alya whispered and the puzzle pieces are starting to piece together. Marinette wondered why the students in school are awfully quiet, but she thought it was because of Chloé or Lila or whoever the Queen of the school is at the moment. Alya looked down, continuing. "The gunners didn't know the phone was still recording and"

"Okay. You don't have to speak anymore. I know." Marinette remembers _that moment_. It was her bad luck from yesterday, almost losing her miraculous from a bunch of thieves. Thankfully, Plagg and her had a back-up plan and came back from the living with her miraculous on hand. Marinette wanted to cheer Alya up, she really did. Alya deserves to be happy. "It's not that bad-"

"It's not that bad?! Not that bad?!" Alya's voice is rising and Marinette doesn't understand. "The entirety of France saw Lady Noire die! No one helped her, not a single Parisian and not even his soulmate."

"Misterbug was-" Marinette tried to defend her partner but Alya cut her off.

"He doesn't love her! If Misterbug **truly** loves her, he'd realize Lady Noire didn't come back after the second akuma attack. Misterbug would've listened to his instincts and not his teammates when the third akuma attack begun. They took longer on the third akuma because they learned later they had to destroy the Eiffel tower itself." Alya spat and Marinette closed her mouth. _Alya really thought this through, hasn't she?_ Alya apologized, "Mari... I'm sorry. I was wrong."

"I was wrong for letting my followers downplay you. I was wrong for believing everyone else when I could have learned the truth from you instead. I was wrong for twisting the truth by glorifying the miraculous holders. I'm sorry for letting you believe the ladybug and black cat are soulmates."

"I'm sorry for using you for views. I'm sorry I believed Lila over you for these past few months. I'm sorry for always pushing you to some guy and hope you fall in love.." Alya talked so fast, but the word **you** and the words beside it made her know one thing. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. I'm sorry I let you down and will never hold a miraculous for my mistakes. I'm sorry for keeping you up at night for being a reckless reporter. I'm sorry I got you killed twice and didn't even say thank you."

"Please, for my sake, please **stop**?" Alya begged and her world came to a halt. " **Please stop being Lady Noire**."

"You..." Marinette never thought Alya would

"I can't lose you, Marinette. You have no idea how amazing you are and you deserve so much more than all of **_this_**." Alya's eyes begin to water again and maybe Marinette might also be crying "So please... If you're doing this for my sake..."

*RRRRRNNNNNGGGGG

"Okay." Marinette agreed, tears falling down her eyes. Despite the fear in her mind of instant abandonment, Alya honestly let her heart out and removed everything she loved just to keep her safe. Being Lady Noire lost its luster to her. She was being replaced by more and more capable and loving miraculous holders. Lady Noire just wasn't... Liked. No. Maybe not the black cat itself, but the one using it. It would be best if Misterbug gets a better partner.

**This was for the best.**

"I'm sorry, Al." Marinette raised her arms to pull Alya into a hug. She made her best friend so worried. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize, you yarnhead." Alya sniffed, hugging her back. Some students kept their distance from their area, heading to their respective classrooms. "You did what you had to do."

"I know." Marinette murmured. She'll need to talk to Plagg first before visiting the Guardian. Plagg will be very sad, but he already told her this is her last life. _Plagg doesn't want her to die for real._ The Guardian is also a nice man. He'll understand if she gives it back. Misterbug... He'll understand.

**[Paris needs a new Black cat.]**

_It was for the greater good._

* * *

[Ḿ̸̛̖͙̠̐̍a̸̘͉̦̦̙̝͌͐̈́͛̚͝d̷̛̜̦̟̜̋̄̒̈́͌̈́̋ņ̵̛͍̯̭̻̜͑̓̄̈̈́͗̃͜ͅȩ̷̰̙̳̠̮̑͂š̴͉͍̹̣̾̋̇͝s̵̘̩̳̼͙̟̦̣͓͖̈̊̄̚͝]

* * *

**Marinette doesn't have the ring.**

Alix realized it too late, freezing in place when 'Lady Noire' destroyed half of the classroom.

"Oh Lila~!" The black cat looked terrifying, holding a sword instead of a baton. Alix doesn't know what's going on, but this isn't supposed to be happening. The cheshire grin of this latest heroine was terrifying, the sky darkening at the black cat's rage. "There you are, you vixen!"

"Get behind me." Marinette ordered, tugging Lila behind and beside Alya. She pulled out her sheers from her purse, glancing at the right to see Sabrina pulling out a gun and Rose revealing her throw knives. Marinette looked at the black cat, slightly unnerved. "Is... Is this Misterbug's orders?"

"Oh **my** bugaboo doesn't need to waste his time with a skank." The black cat walked towards their area, deflecting the shots from the adults below and in the the adjacent room. "I'll finish her off myself."

"What did you do?!" Alya asked, turning to Lila's direction while Marinette scanned the destroyed room.

"N-nothing!" Lila cried, oddly pale and shaking. Alix watched Marinette step behind Lila and Alya, facing the the black cat who destroyed half the classroom.

"Don't listen to her, blogger. She's an ally of Papillon~" The black cat sang and Alix felt like vomiting when she smelled the familiar scent of blood. _A killer?!_ The superhero smiled at Marinette, "So can you please step aside? I know how much you want to help Bugaboo."

"You understand this woman has to die, **right**?" The black cat finally stopped smiling. She's staring at Marinette, cat eyes narrowing at the fashion designer. " _It's for the greater good._ "

"Marinette..." Alya held onto Lila's arm. Majority of the students managed to escape with Rose and Sabrina keeping the situation under control. **The black cat just really wants to kill Lila.**

"P-please don't..." Lila begged and Marinette dropped her scissors.

"I'm sorry..." Marinette apologized, taking a step away from the duo... Before lifting the remaining fragment of the bench and smacking straight at the black cat's face. "But I won't let you!"

"Run!" Alya dragged Lila out and Alix finally followed the duo. She looked behind her shoulder, seeing Marinette duck and kick her scissors in the air to deflect the blade. **Everything was going so fast**. Lila's sure as dead in this world and the black cat is out for blood unlike Marinette. _Marinette will die._

'I have to fix this.' Alix bit her lower lip, running to find a hiding spot to transform.

* * *

**RULE NUMBER ONE: Do not let the black cat miraculous be given away the second time.**


	2. Make Marinette not Miraculous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Solve it one at the time, personal first then to public._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya focused on the wrong issues and noticed the cancer late.

Failing in her last world but wanting to save Marinette, Alix decided that maybe the best way to avoid the END is to never let Marinette have a miraculous in the first place.

**[It's time to change the protagonist.]**

To do this, she first: **went to Marinette's place and escorted her to school.** _That's the day Marinette got the miraculous right?_ Best part here is the fact Marinette continues to be friends with everyone, but focuses more on Alya due to her blogging. Watching Marinette of this world giggling at Alya's words, Alix just wants a world where everyone is safe and sound.

_This better be the correct solution!_

...

* * *

...

On her first day, Alya Cesairé befriended an amazing girl in her new school **Collège Françoise Dupont**.

Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and she's the sweetest female in town. Seriously speaking, Marinette lives above one of the best patisseries in Paris and is quite the eater. The bluenette knows her sweets and will bring the class pastries for zero reasons. Marinette is also the girl who helped her adjust in this school, telling her details on the security and academic part more than the students and reputation department.

In class, Alya noticed Alix and Chloé being the alpha females while Kim is the top dog. Juleka and Rose are usually in their little bubble alongside Mylène and Ivan, while Nino and Nathaniel are in their own world of music and art, respectively. The rest follow their respective leader such as Sabrina (who follows Chloé) and Max (with Alix and Kim). Now that Alya thought about it, maybe Marinette is also in the loner department with how little interaction she has with everyone. _That can't be right!_ Marinette is an overall nice and bombastic girl, always bringing food and giving out gifts when someone feels down...

It seems she and Adrien have the same idea when they befriended Marinette and Nino, respectively. It got better when she learned Nino was Marinette usual partner with Nathaniel being in second place. _Alya wanted to ship Marinette with Nathaniel (artist couple), but she saw the way Adrien looks at her bestie and boy he's utterly helpless._

Being the pioneer to the friend group, Alya got Nino to be more confident on his music, Adrien to gain more friends and Marinette to... Actually, Marinette is too cute. In fact, Alya wants Marinette and Adrien to be a couple. _**It's too bad Adrien is always busy.**_

> Alya won't force her friends to be _something_ , even if Adrien and Marinette would be an awesome couple. **Alya isn't that sort of person.** However, she honestly believes there's a connection between the two.
> 
> Adrien is the only one who can convince an angry or mischievous Marinette to not execute her plan, while Marinette is the only one who can convince the conservative or shy Adrien to come along and try new things. The most incriminating evidence she got was the time when Adrien literally kissed Marinette during the film, which shocked Marinette since Alya told her they'll be doing a fake kiss. _Neither of the two cinnamon buns could look at each other in the eyes for a week without blushing._

Anyways, Alya made a promise with Marinette's mother to tell her if Marinette is showing any sort of attraction to a certain individual. That must mean Marinette is bisexual right? Parents should know those type of stuff right, especially as open and loving as Marinette's parents?

Moving on, Alya usually has Marinette tagging along on her venture to document the adventures of **Misterbug and Lady Midnight**. Marinette just knows when they're in trouble, leading her to safer route to get some videos or distracting the akuma so they can get away. _**Marinette is like her partner-in-crime.**_

> Out of everyone (family, friends and classmates), Marinette is the only one who didn't stop her in finalizing the Ladyblog. The bluenette is the type to watch over her, leading her to alternate routes (when necessary) and discussing about the superheroes during their free time.

Despite the number of deadly akumatized villains created by Papillon, Alya has never gotten herself in any sort of danger. As long as Marinette is by her side, Alya found herself scratch-free.

Due to the increasing crime rate in the city, Marinette always stuck close to her. The baker's daughter insists to escort her home and even stay with her during the night when her parents are gone.

> One night changed her perspective of her best friend.
> 
> _The scent of metal, ~~the thrill of escape~~ , the secret between them, ~~and the lives lost,~~_
> 
> Alya had no choice but to tell Marinette's mother.

After the incident, Alya isn't that eager to rush into battle. She takes a lot of precautionary measures, looking behind her shoulder to see Marinette trailing few steps away. Chloé has no idea what will happen to her if she pushed Marinette far too hard.

All for sure, no matter what Marinette is on or not on, Alya knows Marinette would never harm her.

_She isn't sure about the rest._

...

* * *

...

_Something is wrong._

Because Chloé is the class representative _since Alya didn't convince the bluenette_ , Marinette has less opportunities to get close to anyone. It's a good thing because Marinette wouldn't expose herself to danger. It's a bad thing because Marinette won't panic when there's a literal robbery or serious shoot-out incident except if Alya gets involved. Marinette really cares for Alya.

[But no one is dead in her class so that's a win.]

Confident she got Marinette down to the T, Alix focuses on the other variable - Adrien Agreste. As the other half of the miraculous duo, she expected Adrien to feel confused with the different Black Cat. **Alix was wrong.** Adrien befriended the feline. That's it. No fireworks, no flirty banter... Just two professional superheroes. Good because Fluff says altering fate often ends terribly. Bad because... Uh. _The crime rate of this world is so freaking high._

Seriously, Alix doesn't get how Marinette being Lady Noire curbed criminal activity. _What sort of sorcery did Marinette do?_ Alix wished she got the rabbit miraculous after she graduated université (to understand the complexity of her society), but Fluff says young miraculous holders are capable of adapting and growing stronger than those chosen later in life.

~~There's also the fact the world ENDS before she even graduates université.~~

Watching Adrien, Alix doesn't know how to approach the male.

Influencing Marinette is easy. Adrien? Not so.

...

* * *

...

When Lila Rossi came to school, Alya thought she found their fifth member in the **Pest o' Friends Forever Team** (Don't ask). It has always been Adrien, her, Marinette and Nino. However, Alya didn't expect Lila to not get along with Marinette. Maybe this will be like Rose and Marinette's rocky friendship? _She just have to give it a couple of weeks and BAM! They're friends._

_..._

**It didn't get better.**

_How does she know?_ Well.. Adrien. The blonde is always inquiring where Marinette is or why Marinette isn't with them. _Alya forgot Adrien can get quite passive-aggressive whenever someone suggests an activity beyond his comfort level._ _._ Nino also missed Marinette in his own way, playing Marinette's favorite playlist in the school radio. Alya noticed it too late, enamored with Lila's tales to notice her friend's discomfort. _It's not her fault for not noticing._

Despite separating from the group, Marinette would continue to sneak into her life. Marinette still helps her with the Ladyblog, and Marinette continues to walk her back home. They also chat via phone... phones? Marinette keeps losing her phone so Alya has a lot of phone numbers all belonging to Marinette.

[Marinette will always be her best friend, not even Lila can replace her.]

"Can't you give Lila another chance?" Alya asked, sitting down beside Marinette after finding her friend lounging in the abandoned botanical garden. Principal Damocles couldn't handle maintenance so there are quite a number of dead plants in the area.

"Shouldn't you be with PFFT?" Marinette smiled at the name she and Adrien made together.

"It's not the same with you gone." Alya admitted, having her bestie rest her head on her shoulder. "Lila's making it into some couple group. Adrien doesn't like it."

"I knew it! Even Lila saw the potential of Team DJWifi~" Marinette teased, but Alya's too tired to tell her off. Spending thirty minutes roaming around the school, Alya gave up and used GPS to track Marinette. Thank god, Marinette didn't lose her latest phone or she's screwed.

...

"Is it bad?" Marinette asked, looking up at the sky. "It can't be that bad."

"I... Well." Alya isn't sure what the guys want, but Nino and Adrien seem to dislike Lila's talkative nature. It's always about Lila and what she wants them all to do or try. Alya murmured, "We haven't done something utterly reckless for the past two weeks."

"What a boring group." Marinette chuckled. Alya rolled her eyes at that. _It was always Marinette who drags them to do something questionable._ Marinette sang, "Surely you guys had fun with whatever Lila has in mind~"

"Not really." Alya realized the lack of activities. Lila was pretty mundane. Refreshing on the first week _since Lila gives an air of normalcy_ , but it gets really boring. When either of them wanted to spice things up, Lila would create some excuse and guilt-trip the one who suggested to consider her enormous list of health conditions. Alya confessed, "Lila isn't exactly capable of doing a lot of things."

"Oh yes. Her health issues." Marinette drawled, "But why not try those couple shops? I hear they have amazing discounts."

"Adrien." Alya knows the mannerisms Adrien sports when creating an excuse. There's also the fact Adrien rejected going to couple shops even when she offered his partner to be Marinette. _Adrien is a weird guy._

"Hm.." Marinette thinks about it, and Alya rest her head on Marinette's own. It was a nice day to be moving about, but Alya needed space to think. Lila kept saying so many amazing things, that Alya could barely keep track of it. She needs time to think. She needs good ol' silence.

...

"Lila sees me as competition.." Marinette whispered, fingers entwining hers. Alya pays attention, confused why someone as kind and amazing see Marinette as competition. "Because she wants Adrien."

"You mean love?" Alya corrected. "People aren't objects, Marinette."

"Lila treats him like an object, Alya." Marinette mumbled, continuing before Alya spoke up. "She barely met him and she already _loves_ him? I find that hard to believe."

"M-maybe it's love at first sight?" Alya struggled to defend one of her friends. Marinette did have a point. Alya was the one who taught Marinette what romantic love is while her parents taught her platonic and familial love. That was enough for the bluenette to craft attires dedicated to such abstract concepts. Marinette isn't jealous because Alya would know if she's jealous. Marinette gets physical, a hands-on war plan against those who defy her. It won't be subtle. Marinette's plans always go off like fireworks.

"Hm..." Marinette accepted the answer, but Alya felt guilty. She knows Marinette won't question her if it'll make her happy so the guilt is twice as heavy.

"Ok. You're right. Maybe Lila needs some _work_." Alya relented. If Lila does treat Adrien like an object then everything Adrien did makes sense. His dislike for their new friend is due to how similar Lila's deeds are in his modelling career.

"But?" Marinette knows her too well, not moving as Alya sat straight.

"But we'll need to do baby steps." Alya theorized, forming a plan. "The first step we need to do is make Lila realize you aren't competition."

"And...?" Marinette doesn't follow her, just lazing around until the bell rings.

"Who do you like? Boy? Girl?" Alya asked.

"What?" Marinette finally sat back up, turning her head to look at Alya as if she grew another head.

"Come on, M!" Alya persisted, smiling at the confused female. "It's the perfect plan. If Lila learns about your _crush_ then she'll surely remove you from her hit list."

"But I... I don't love anyone." Marinette frowned, cupping her chin with one hand.

"Oh come on, Mari~ There has to be someone." This time, it's Alya's turn to tease the pensive bluenette. "Someone you admire? Someone you'd think about from time to time?"

"Hmm~" Marinette hummed, arms crossed as she closed her eyes. After a couple of seconds, Marinette opened her eyes. "I guess Misterbug?"

"Oh hell yeah!" Alya did a fist pump. "I knew it! Who could resist him?"

"Actually, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be thinking about him." Marinette pointed out, tilting her head. "I've noticed the crimson bug looking fatigue nowadays, but he continues to protect the city. I admire his dedication."

"..." Alya stared at Marinette smiling fondly. The rung and both of them stood up.

"Marinette." Alya placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder, walking beside her as they went back to civilization. "I should've known your type would be another workaholic."

"But will this really work?" Marinette wondered. "Would Lila really stop if she learns I have a hero crush?"

"I know how girls think, M." Alya walked down the stairs with her bestie, now holding hands with her. _Marinette is a clumsy girl._

"Promise me you won't beat yourself too hard if it doesn't work, all right?" Marinette laughed, reaching the floor to their classroom.

"It'll work." Alya vowed, ready to talk to the girls to initiate the plan.

...

* * *

...

For unknown reasons, Marinette loves Misterbug?

_No. Wait. I know Marinette. She falls in love with grand gestures and Adrien did none of those!_

Alix didn't see any sense to that. In fact, it makes absolutely no sense why Marinette would fall in love for Misterbug. They barely interacted and she made sure Misterbug can never locate Marinette to give the miraculous- _Alya_. Alya did something, but Alix needs to know **why** Alya did _this_. Actually, she doesn't know what Alya is even planning at this point. Marinette is always hanging around Alya, not enough room to pull either to the side and ask what's going on. Alix can't get any answer if both are together. _Ah! DO THEY HAVE NO IDEA THE WORLD IS AT STAKE?!_

_The worst part is Adrien's reaction._

It seems Adrien considered Marinette's crush to his alter-ego a GO sign to actively hang out with the girl in both masks. It's irritating how her deduction skills are correct, learning on Saturday from a livestream of Misterbug offering a pink hydrangeas pot to his number one fan. _Every fan girl screamed and convinced themselves it's Misterbug's way of rejecting a girl._ Hydrangeas aren't a very romantic flower and Misterbug has shown his distaste for Alya always risking her life near the battlefield. Because of Alya, Marinette was spared of flames and threats. Because of Alya, Alix doesn't know what Adrien plans on doing now. The blonde is so unpredictable which isn't right! Adrien should be easy to understand. **Guys are supposed to be easy to read.**

**[Marinette. Are you alone?]**

It's been two months since the rumors died down and Alix would text Marinette every night, no longer guilty for sending pesky text messages to the bluenette. Marinette doesn't like the silence, much less being alone. If Marinette doesn't respond in the next 30 seconds, she's either in the bathroom, working with her designs or chatting with someone.

**[Marinette?]**

Alix knows Marinette never turns her phone off. Alix knows Marinette from the first timeline, befriending and teasing the bluenette for being a klutz. Alix knows she doesn't belong in this world, but she's here and Alix will prevent the END.

**Sorry. I fell asleep.**

Marinette is lying. Not only did she take more than a minute, but she didn't send an emoticon. Misterbug is probably with her, doing _something_? Alix prays this won't reroute the timeline back to the END. Everything was going so well. She hopes Marinette won't get hurt in this run. She wishes Adrien would stop being so weird and keep the world alive.

_I don't want to see anyone die anymore._

...

* * *

...

Alya knows something is off today. She knows everything is fine, but another part of her says otherwise.

"Is something wrong, Alya?" Marinette asked, eyes filled with so much concern.

"I-Nothing." Alya reassured, lingering at her seatmate's appearance.

_What was it? What was causing her distress? Why couldn't she notice it?_

"Hey, Marinette?" Alya asked, raising her hand to stare at the blue hair ties of her best friend. "Where did you get _this_?"

"Maman." Marinette quickly turned her head, letting the ribbon move away from her fingertips. Sitting beside Lila and Nino, Marinette giggled. "You're being weird, Al."

Marinette. **Marinette is acting weird.** _This isn't Marinette._

Marinette isn't this expressive. Marinette never changes her appearance unless she got the approval of five people she trusts. _Marinette loves her pigtails and the red ribbons her mother gave her._ Marinette isn't always this positive _._

_A fake. This is a fake. She is a fake._

'It's the only reason why this makes sense.' Alya thought, grabbing the blue hair tie and unraveling the girl's ponytail.

"Alya?!" Seeing _Marinette_ turn towards her direction, Alya didn't think twice as she used the scissors she borrowed from Marinette from the night prior.

"I'm sorry.." Alya doesn't know if she means it as she placed the fabric against blades once painted red.

* * *

[Ḿ̸̛̖͙̠̐̍a̸̘͉̦̦̙̝͌͐̈́͛̚͝d̷̛̜̦̟̜̋̄̒̈́͌̈́̋ņ̵̛͍̯̭̻̜͑̓̄̈̈́͗̃͜ͅȩ̷̰̙̳̠̮̑͂š̴͉͍̹̣̾̋̇͝s̵̘̩̳̼͙̟̦̣͓͖̈̊̄̚͝]

* * *

"Sentimonster."

Alya's words rang in the cafeteria as everyone watched the Marinette sitting beside them vanish from thin air, leaving only a **blue feather** fluttering in the air.

Everything felt like a blur to Alix, standing up as several students ran off to call the admin on the sudden disappearance of a student. _Paonne._ Alix couldn't breath, forgetting another villain she has to watch out in this world. The lady in blue who also desires for the ladybug and black cat miraculous. No one knows what the woman needs from them. No one knows why the woman kidnaps and leaves comatose bodies at the Seine.

**Marinette's been kidnapped.**

**[I failed her.]**

Alix struggled to breath, taking steps back. She watched Alya let silent tears fall down her face. **It was better now than too late**. Paonne does have this sick satisfaction to disguise her sentimonsters replace the original, only to have their family members, friends and colleagues learn the gruesome end of the original once the sentimonster vanished.

"Come with me, Alya." Sabrina raised her hand, already calling the police to start the search mission. It's the first time someone noticed Paonne's tricks, but this is Alya. Alya who researched about the miraculous holders to the point of danger.

"I should've went to her..." Alya whispered, standing up and still holding the scissors Marinette lent her. Everyone read last night's group chat where Marinette was pleading Alya to come to her house. They thought it was some innuendo and Alix thought it was for Alya to get an exclusive interview with Misterbug. Alya couldn't come because she's grounded and now Marinette is?!

"What about her parents?!" Alix panicked, bumping someone from behind. She asked the question she had the answers to. **Paonne is merciless.** She might as well be considered worse than Papillon on how terrible she destroys the psyche. Those two villains may not be working together, but that didn't mean they had a better chance of getting either in the good side. "What if they're also?!"

"Alix." Kim spoke and Alix didn't want to look at him. Kim knows she's thinking so he won't be a dolt and make a joke. _This is serious_. Their friend just got kidnapped! "Sabrina already contacted her dad. The police are going to handle it."

"And if they don't?" Alix doesn't trust the police. The police couldn't even handle curbing the crime rate and akuma incidents without a miraculous holder guiding them!

"I-Misterbug will find her." Kim comforted. Alix hated his answer. She hates how this is now the only answer to saving Marinette. She knows from her other self, while in the **Burrow** , that Papillon only wants the miraculouses. Paonne wants the miraculous and its wielders. She may not know who **Lady Midnight** is, but Adrien/Misterbug will do anything to get Marinette back. If the Ladybug falls, the black cat will follow.

"I have to fix this." Alix felt tears fall, irritated at herself. Marinette doesn't say things without purpose. Everything has meaning. Alix removed Kim's arms from her, running away to transform. 'I have to.'

* * *

**RULE NUMBER TWO: Do not let the villains focus on the original miraculous holders.**

**Author's Note:**

> Alix' ~~final~~ alternative: Ŗ̵̨̧̱̤̖͓͈̘͎̊͒̆̐̿̋̚͜͝Ė̷̡̧̧̨͓̹̠̬̝̗̋͌̉͜e̷̯̒̍̈́̌̓̒͛̌̇̈́̽͗͘͝E̶̛͚̹̹͉̗̲̰̤̞̲͙̅̃̿̏̏̋̔͘̕͘͝p̷̖͚̝̣͖̃͐̅ͅȩ̸͈̘͕̞̹̼̠̞̼̊̅͠Ą̷̰̣̝̺͕̥͎̯̜̟̺̙͖̽̚ͅa̷̧̤̻̼̫̬͍͚̫̥̟̩̪̟͊̈́̀͗̈́̔́̄͐̚T̴͓̟̈́̆̾̽̍̏̍́͗͋̐̃͘ͅ


End file.
